Trees with limbs, such as cedar and pine, are widely used as building materials. A tree can be cut into boards or made into siding for use in houses and other buildings. When lumber is made, a knot occurs where a tree limb grew because of the difference in the direction of the grain of the wood. Unfortunately, knots have a way of becoming dislodged, after a while, leaving a knot hole in the lumber. Knot holes typically go unattended until the house or other structure containing the lumber needs refinishing. When refinishing is required, the holes are typically filled with caulk, putty or cement which is time consuming because the material is applied one layer at a time and allowed to set or cure between layers. The final layer is also allowed to cure a day before refinishing. It will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to be able to repair a knot hole without having to wait several days for the filling material to cure.
In addition to knot holes, lumber can develop holes from insects, birds, squirrels and other animals. These holes, if relatively small, are filled with putty, cement or caulk. Larger holes are typically covered with a piece of sheet metal which is sometimes difficult to cut to the shape of the hole. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a repair apparatus and method that is simple and easy to use, does not require more than one application, and does not require several days to cure.